


How To Misread a Situation Successfully by Dean W.

by psyleedee



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Has a Cat, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Jack is the Cat, M/M, Misunderstandings, Online Romance, Pre-Relationship, Stupidity, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyleedee/pseuds/psyleedee
Summary: "I know, I'm sorry, again, I deeply apologize. I'm usually quite punctual, but my son-"Castiel says.Wait a goddamn minute. A son? A SON? There was no mention of a child? No mention of a fucking kid? Woah, woah, woah. Dean can't date someone with a kid. No, sir. Thank you, but he's going to pass.But Castiel is so hot.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 12
Kudos: 216





	How To Misread a Situation Successfully by Dean W.

**Author's Note:**

> Have some stupid fluff.

Dean sighs as he glances down at his watch for what feels like the millionth time. It's been almost twenty minutes, and part of him wants to get up and get out of the fancy-shmancy restaurant he's sitting in. It's got a wonderful ambience, hot waiters, nice, rich aroma of food floating through the air, and the people seated there look quite sophisticated, with their casual business wears, Rolex watches, and polished boots.

Dean feels completely out of element. For fuck sake, he doesn't do restaurants?! Hell, he's just a diner guy. A hamburger with a side of fries kinda guy. A beer guy. Not a wine guy, or a fillet mignon or whatever the fuck that means guy. But when this guy, Castiel, suggested the place, he thought turning it down would be quite off-putting. Besides, if it meant Dean would get a chance to wear a blazer and trousers that flaunted his ass, well, who's he to blame.

Speaking of, where the hell is Castiel? They'd decided to meet at eight, definitely, and already it is around eight twenty. Dean's tired, mostly self-conscious of drinking wine alone, waiting for his date to show up. The thought settles in on him now and again. Maybe Castiel stood him up. Maybe he decided that Dean wasn't worth his time. Maybe by the time he leaves the restaurant, Castiel's already blocked him. Maybe he's going to have to face the humiliation of eating alone, or worse, leaving-

"I am so terribly, terribly, sorry."

Dean looks up, snapping out of his thoughts, and a man in a neatly pressed suit and a rumpled trenchcoat thrown over his arm hovers above him, settling down in front of Dean, laying the trenchcoat on his lap.

It's Castiel. And Castiel is gorgeous.

Bright blue eyes peer up at Dean, undoubtedly taking in Dean's appearance, as Dean rakes his eyes over the guy, speechless, because hot damn, he did not expect Castiel to be this attractive. The picture on his profile had been grainy, not giving away much, but Dean had taken a chance, and well, let's just say it had turned out pretty good, so far.

Before Dean can register the man's appearance, he begins rambling in his deep, gravelly voice, obviously a little breathless, as he adjusts himself.  
"It's just, I called over the babysitter and Charlie was there, and she's pretty cool, but then right as I'm leaving, Jack threw up all over the floor, and of course, I had to wait, 'cause he's just two, and I can barely leave him alone, so I had to clean up the mess, get him settled, oh my god, I'm rambling, I'm so sorry."

Dean cracks a small grin, and dismisses him.  
"Oh no, it's okay. I understand. It's just that I got a little worried, y'know-"

"I know, I'm sorry, again, I deeply apologize. I'm usually quite punctual, but my son-"

Wait a goddamn minute. A son? A SON? There was no mention of a child? No mention of a fucking kid? Woah, woah, woah. Dean can't date someone with a kid. No, sir. Thank you, but he's going to pass.

But Castiel is so hot.

"-and that's how Jack just is, I mean, he isn't usually moody, but I don't know. Dean?"

Dean blinks back to present, and realizes Castiel has just been talking to him, oblivious to him zoning out.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I said, do you want to order something?"

"Oh, uh, sure. Look, Castiel, I'm going to be honest with you, since this is an actual date, and I really think you're a cool guy, so uhm, I'm not really familiar with fancy restaurants and shit... I mean, I eat some pizza, have some pie, and call it a day... This is kinda out of my zone, y'know what I'm saying...?"

Castiel listens to him with rapt attention, cracking a broad smile when Dean's done, and God, how is he so cute?

"Honestly, I don't know shit about this place either... It's just... This is my brother's restaurant, and when I told him I was looking for a good place to have a date, he kind of, well, uhm, suggested me to give his place a try. I'm more of a cheeseburger person myself."  
He says with a shy smile, and Dean feels relief flood through his chest.

That still leaves the son thing to be solved.

"So, you're son, Jack, right?"

"Oh yeah, Jack."

"How old is he?"

"He's two and a half, but he's really naughty for his age. Always spilling stuff and tearing things."

Gosh, an actual baby. Dean can't even imagine how hard it must be for Castiel to work, be a single father, and juggle having a date. Dean feels bad for him, he really does. But he just can't date a guy with a kid. Because it's the whole package. It's like a free ride into fatherhood. And trust him, he's been there. He remembers, with Lisa and her son Ben, how he'd thought he had everything he needed, but as days went by, things became harder, more complicated. And man, was it hard to let go of Lisa, moreso Ben.

No matter what, he just can't do kids anymore.

"You know what, enough about Jack, tell me about you Dean, I mean, apart from what I already know."  
Castiel smiles, and glances at the waiter who brings them their menu.

"Good evening sir, what can I get for you? Some more wine, any special requests?"  
The waiter is tall, lanky but holds himself with proper composure as he speaks. Castiel shakes his head, and turns to Dean.

"How do you feel about more wine?"

"I'm down."

"What about to eat? I'm not quite familiar with these dishes."

As if a bulb flipping inside his mind, Castiel's eyes widen and he turns to the waiter.

"Tell Gabriel to surprise us."

"Gabriel? Gabriel Novak?"

"Yes."

"You know him?"  
The waiter asks, cautiously.

"He's my brother. And oh, get us some wine."  
Castiel adds on, before turning to Dean.  
Dean watches the waiter leave without a word, and turns his attention back to Castiel.

"So, Dean, you work as a firefighter here, right?"

"Oh, yeah, at the KC Fire Department."

"It must be tough, right, being a fire fighter? Saving all those lives, putting yourself in danger?"  
Castiel asks, and props his arm up on the table, setting his chin on his hand as he watches Dean.

"Oh, it's tough alright, but it's gratifying, you know, I mean, you're saving people, you're doing good in the world. Plus, it pays the bills, so it pretty cool."  
Dean answers, and Castiel smiles.

"That sounds very heroic... I don't know what to tell you about my job though, I mean it's not boring, per se, but there isn't much to it either."  
Castiel starts, quirking his lip as he trails off, nodding his head slowly.

"Wait, you work as a writer, right?"

"What? No, I work as a freelance translator. So, I translate articles, and stories, and novels, and just anything written, that needs to be translated, but in a way that doesn't make it sound robotic and actually keeps the essence of the writing real. Sometimes though, I do work as a verbal translator, but only sometimes..."

Dean's eyes widen with amusement and he leans closer, hands fidgeting with the hem of the table cloth.

"Alright, that is so freaking cool, man. So, like, how many languages do you know?"

Castiel's eyes wander away in thought as he licks his lips, and Dean's eyes fix on the action.

"Well... I can read, and write, almost sixteen languages, but I can only speak twelve of them fluently."

This is the part when Dean's jaw drops.

"No way. You speak twelve fucking languages?"

Castiel laughs, his head thrown back slightly, as he nods.  
"I do. I'm good at the European ones, the Asian ones are a little harder, but I can speak some quite easily."  
He says, and Dean admires how there's no boastfulness in his voice. It just sounds genuine.

"Imagine all the music you can listen to... All the places you can fit into... Must be amazing..."  
Dean muses, and Castiel shrugs.

"I don't really listen to music much, but I do enjoy some pop music, occasionally."

"What about rock? Classic rock? Have you ever heard it?"

And the moment Castiel shakes his head, Dean starts off. Then it's Dean rambling. About Zeppelin, about Metallica, about Queen. When Castiel says he's heard of Queen, Dean lights up, and the conversation flows with a natural ease.

It isn't until Castiel casually brings up something he recalls from Dr. Sexy, Dean's favorite T.V show. That's when Dean decides he's halfway in love with the man.

Hot, gorgeous, funny, kind _and_ a Dr. Sexy fan? Sign Dean the fuck up.

The food arrives, with a special mention from Gabriel, and the wine keeps coming.

"... And that's why I feel Vonnegut is deeply underappreciated."  
Castiel concludes, chewing a piece of steak as he peers at Dean.

If Dean were a cartoon, his eyes would be glowing red hearts, and he'd be melting on the floor by now.

"Yeah?"  
He asks, voice dreamy and smitten.

"Oh, yes..."

"So, are you more of a Slaughterhouse Five person, or a Cat's Cradle person?"  
Dean asks, digging into his own food.

"Oh definitely, Slaughterhouse Five."  
Castiel answers over a mouth of food.

"God, you're like perfect."  
Dean sighs, until his eyes widen and he realizes he's said it out loud. Castiel seems quite unfazed, simply chuckling at Dean's words, and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"You're not so bad yourself, Winchester."  
Castiel smiles and for a moment, Dean really wishes things work out between them. Because being with Castiel feels so liberating and free. There's no judgement, and he can be himself. If months of text threads aren't enough to prove how gone Dean is on Castiel, well, this night definitely takes the cake.

There's just a teeny-tiny problem of Castiel having a kid. Scratch that. It's a huge freaking problem.

No kids. That's Dean's strict policy. He just can't do the whole awkward, parent's date thing. It becomes a process, and just when thing start to settle with the kid, there's problems with the relationship. So no matter what, Dean can't do kids.

And Castiel needs to know that.

"Hey Cas-"

Castiel's phone rings and Dean pauses. Castiel fishes his phone out of his pocket, and looks down at the caller. His eyebrows draw together uncertainly, and he looks up at Dean, eyes pleading.

"I'm sorry, do you mind if I take this?"  
Castiel asks, and Dean nods his head.

"Sure, go ahead."  
He smiles, but it fades as Castiel darts up out of his seat and answers the call, walking away out of sight.

Castiel is... Has been... Amazing. Talking to him doesn't take effort. He's understand, curious, empathetic... Everything Dean admires...

As Dean grabs his own phone, he scrolls through some of their chats from days ago.

_impala67: you can cook?_

  
_angelbee: Of course, I can. I like to bake as well._

  
_impala67: so u know how to bake pie?_

  
_angelbee: Oh, yes, apple, pecan, cherry... You name it._

  
_impala67: gosh can i like marry you already_

  
_angelbee: Not so fast, lover boy. You do have to take me out to dinner first._

  
_impala67: oh I will. with ur consent ofc_

  
_angelbee: *laughing emoji* Of course, Dean. I'd love that._

  
_impala67: rlly? u ll go on a d8 wit me?_

  
_angelbee: Maybe if you learn to spell first._

  
_impala67: shut up its texting lingo atleast i don't take 5 mins to type out the word hello_

  
_angelbee: Do I need to remind you you're thirty years old?_

  
_impala67: ok boomer_

  
_angelbee: I know what that means and I'm not a boomer. I'm younger than you, Dean._

  
_impala67: *crying emoji* respct ur elders_

  
_angelbee: *laughing emoji*_

Dean smiles at the sheer stupidity of the messages, but then again, he doesn't need to pretend with Cas. From day one, he's admired Castiel for the way he is, and in turn, Castiel has accepted him as he is, and there's nothing more Dean can even expect from him.

But the prospect of having to bond with someone's child, no matter how young, just seems too risky. And Dean can't take that risk now. Maybe if he was older, wiser, he would've given it a thought. But not this time. So with a heavy heart, he waits for Castiel to return. He doesn't know how, but he needs to tell Castiel that he can't do this. Right as he looks up from his phone, Castiel dashes over to their table, distressed and in a frenzy, phone clutched tight in his hand.

"Dean, I'm so sorry, I really need to leave. Jack is, he's sick, he's puking and, and, Charlie doesn't know what to do, and, and I, I can't let anything happen to him-"

Dean stares at him.

"Woah, woah, Cas, calm down. What's wrong?"

Castiel begins gathering his trenchcoat in his hand as Dean rises.

"It's, it's Jack, he's not well, I need to reach home to see what's wrong."  
Castiel mutters and Dean's heart sinks at that. He was really enjoying the evening. Does Cas really need to go? Of course he does, idiot, that's his son. Think he'a going to care for some strange dude's date over his son?

"I'll drop you, or you won't find a cab."  
Dean says, and collects his things, calling to the waiter. He instructs him to get the bill, and Castiel argues again, saying he'll pay the bill, but well, owing to Castiel distressed state, Dean eventually wins, and they pay the bill and hit the road.

Dean quickly helps Castiel get inside, not bothering to flaunt his car at the moment, as he revs up the engine and asks Cas for directions. Once they settle down, Dean checks on Cas again, who's staring out of the window, eerily calm, and biting his nails.

"What happened to Jack? He okay?"

"Nope. Charlie says he's puking, that he's making weird noises..."

Oh damn. This is serious.  
"Jesus, get that kid to a doctor."

Castiel stares at him for a second, a calculating look on his face. Dean simply shrugs it off as concern and keeps driving towards the location Castiel told him.

It isn't until they hit the main road that Dean brings it up.

"Castiel, I need to tell you something."

"Are you a serial killer?"

"Wha- of course not?!"  
Dean sputters and Castiel quiets down.

"It's just, look, you're amazing, okay? I don't think I'll ever meet anyone as great as you. I can see myself with you Cas, months from now, and I can see myself really putting in that effort to keep you happy. I can see us together but... I don't do kids man."

Dean doesn't dare to look at Castiel, who on the contrary, stares unabashedly at Dean.  
"What?"  
He asks, and there's a tone of defeat to it.

"I just... I've been with someone who had a kid before. I know we're not supposed to talk about exes on the first date or whatever, but look, I got really attached to her kid, but then she cheated on me, shit went down, we separated. It was hard on me, not just 'cause I thought I liked her, but also her kid. And I can't do that, okay?"

Castiel stares at him, again. Dumbfounded.

"We're here."  
Castiel says grimly, and Dean wonders if Castiel understood him or not. Maybe now isn't the best time.

Dean facepalms himself internally. Way to give an impression. The guy's kid is sick off his ass, and you're chirping about not being able to date him. Yeah right. Like he gives a fuck at this point.

Castiel doesn't even wait for Dean to completely halt, when he's dashing out and towards his apartment, but Dean doesn't blame him.

Disappointment begins to settle in on Dean as he steps out the car, and follows Castiel. They dash up the stairs and Castiel is ringing the buzzer, fumbling with his keys at the same time, until the door swings open, to a young smiling redhead, whose smile drops like an anchor.

"Castiel? What are you doing here?"  
Charlie asks, as Castiel dashes past her. Dean allows himself the liberty to step in, he doesn't really know why Castiel would mind, as he follows the other man inside.

"Where's Jack? What happened to him?"

"Oh, it was just a hairball."

A what?

"What?"  
Castiel spits out, in complete disbelief.

"Yeah, uhm, I'm sorry I got you so panicked... It's just, I've never pet-sat a cat before, so I may have overreacted... Oh my god, did you leave your date for this? Castiel, I'm so sorry... "  
The girl stammers, trailing off with a dejected look. Castiel simply graces her with a small smile.

"Where is he now? Is he okay?"  
Castiel asks, and before Dean can grasp what's going on, there's something purring and nuzzling at his leg, and he looks down to see a fluffy, blonde, cat licking his trouser.

It meows once, as if urging Dean to pet him, and God, it's too cute to even ignore, so he picks it up in his arms, trying to stifle a sneeze.

"Jack!"  
A loud, excited yell rings through the room, and then he's being tackled down, the cat in his arms jumping into Castiel's hands.

Wait a minute. This is Jack?

Jack. Is a cat.

What?

"This is Jack?"

Castiel just stares up at Dean, as if he just claimed the earth is flat.

"Of course it is. What did you think he was?"

Dean's jaw drops.

"A baby? Like, you kept calling him your son, what was I supposed to think?"  
Dean exclaims, and Castiel stares at him, mouth agape.

And then he bursts out laughing.

That's when it clicks.

Castiel doesn't have an actual son. It's his pet. His pet cat. That's Jack.

Before he knows it, Dean's laughing too.

"Wait, is that why you were telling me about your ex and her son in the car? Because you thought I had a baby?"  
Castiel asks, as his laugh subdues into a grin.

"Yeah... I didn't know how to tell you... But I was just... I don't know it's just so funny now."

"I get why you'd be confused, I didn't even tell you Jack was a cat. You didn't ask either."

"It would've been too weird. Imagine if it was actually a baby? What would I ask, 'hey are you talking about a cat or a baby?'"

Castiel laughs harder at that, and Dean decides he loves the sound.

"Oh Dean... You dork."

They stop laughing, simply staring at each other for a moment, before Castiel cups Dean's face, and leans up, pressing his lips to Dean's.

The kiss is soft, and although it takes Dean aback slightly, he gives in, hands wrapping around Castiel's neck as he drinks in the taste of the wine they had been drinking a while ago. His lips are soft, and each touch sends sparks floating through Dean's veins.

They pull back a few second later, when something jumps onto Castiel's shoulder. Dean jerks back, watching as Jack settles around Castiel's neck.

"You're being a real cockblock, Jack."  
Castiel sighs, eyes still shut.

A smile tugs at Dean's lips as Castiel opens his eyes, smiling up at Dean brightly.

"I'm sorry, it's just, Jack might be a cat, but he is as good as my child. I'm sorry I panicked and we had to leave early-"

"Hey, it's okay. Maybe we could, uh, watch a movie? And you should probably also pay the sitter so she can leave."  
Dean shrugs, glancing back at the redhead who is texting on her phone.

Castiel laughs.

"Sure. I can do that."

He turns away, and Dean watches as he takes a few steps ahead and halts, turning back to Dean.

"We're good, right?"  
Castiel asks, a subtle regret in his voice.

Dean smiles.

"We're great, Cas."

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment to appreciate your local fanfic writers!


End file.
